


Carmilla week 2017

by BatWingsandBlackCats



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluffy Angst, Punk/Metal!Hollstein, Renaissance Faires, Smut, Witch!Hollstein, blacksmith!Carmilla, catmilla, cook!laura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-09 02:05:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11659341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatWingsandBlackCats/pseuds/BatWingsandBlackCats
Summary: My pieces for the 2017 Carmilla week!(tags and characters will be added with each prompt, rated explicit for the second prompt.)





	1. Catmilla -- the shivers

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, long time no see! Hope everyone's doing well. Here are my pieces for the 2017 Carmilla week! Apologies for the lack of fic lately, I've been working my ass off on some bigger projects including the Carmilla Big Bang, which I'm writing with @svelazquez1220, as well as a very large Haunted or Hoax piece. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Carmilla lit the last few candles that sat on the mantle, and then turned back to Laura, flicking her zippo closed. “How’s the fire going, cutie?” She asked, watching as Laura made a few gestures over the pile of wood she’d constructed in the fireplace.

Laura grinned as the fire roared to life before her. “Great,” she said looking up at Carmilla.

Outside, a snowstorm raged on, blanketing everything in sight in a thick layer of snow. It’d been going for a few hours already, but the power had only gone out a few minutes ago. They could already feel the chill seeping into their little house, but they were prepared. Before winter set in, Laura had cast a spell over their firewood to keep it dry even if it snowed or rained, so they had no shortage of bone dry wood to keep their fireplace roaring for however long the storm lasted, and they were fully stocked with water and food. Carmilla had enough candles to light the whole room up. 

“I’ll go get some blankets,” Carmilla said, pausing to kiss the top of Laura’s head before she headed towards their bedroom. 

Laura continued to feed the fire until the flames licked the flue, and just closed the wire grate as Carmilla entered the room again, arms laden with blankets and their pillows from their bed. Laura took one of the blankets and laid it out over the plush rug in front of the fire, and then placed their pillows at one end. Carmilla spread out the other blankets, and Laura went to lay down, but Carmilla caught her around the waist and pulled her back, burying her nose in Laura’s neck. 

“Carm,” Laura giggled, her shoulders rising as Carmilla’s warm breath tickled her neck.

“You smell nice,” Carmilla murmured, planting a kiss on Laura’s neck. 

Laura hummed contentedly, relaxing at the kiss. “Well why don’t we continue this under the covers, I’m getting cold,”

Carmilla chuckled, but agreed, letting go of Laura. Laura shimmied out of her jeans and sweatshirt, leaving only her underwear and teeshirt on as Carmilla did the same, and they were soon curled up together under the covers, Carmilla pressing insistent, but gentle kisses along Laura’s jaw to her neck. Laura grinned at the feeling of her, and ran her hands up Carmilla’s back, under her shirt.

“You feel nice,” Carmilla murmured, and gently began to suck at Laura’s neck.

Laura hummed, pulling Carmilla closer. “You do too.” She jumped though, when she felt Carmilla’s hand ghost the waistband of her sweatpants. “You know,” She said, lacing her fingers with Carmilla’s. “sex is not the best way to warm up in a survival situation. We should be trying to conserve energy,”

Carmilla huffed out a laugh, quirking an eyebrow at Laura. “Cupcake, this is a power outage, not a failed mountaineering expedition,” She said, grinning amusedly. “we have a fire going and plenty of blankets and food and water,”

Laura contemplated that for a moment. “Good point,” She said quickly, and wrapped her arms around Carmilla’s neck, hauling her down again. 

\-------

Hours later, Carmilla woke up to a shivering, half asleep Laura. They were both naked, having passed out after certain...activities, and while they were asleep, the fire had died down. Laura was half out of the covers, feeding logs to the fire, and frantically casting a fire spell to get them lit again so she could get under the covers again.

“Hey,” Carmilla said, propping herself up on her elbow and resting a hand on Laura’s shoulder. She grew worried when she felt how cold she was. “you’re freezing,” She said, pulling her closer once Laura had closed the grate again.

“Y-yeah, the fire died d-down a lot while we slept,” Laura chattered, rolling over to face Carmilla.

“Do you want me to shift?” Carmilla asked, concerned. “I’ll give off more heat that way, it’ll keep you warmer,”

Laura nodded, her teeth chattering. Carmilla pulled her against her chest and seconds later, began to shift. Laura felt Carmilla grow around her as she shifted, her form turning to that of a giant black cat, black fur sprouting all over her body. Carmilla held Laura close with her massive paws, encouraging Laura to snuggle into her thick, soft fur. 

Laura sighed as she slowly felt the warmth begin to radiate off of Carmilla. Carmilla really hadn’t been kidding that she’d be warmer in her cat form, she was practically a furnace. 

Carmilla chuffed, and pressed her wet nose to Laura’s forehead. 

Laura giggled and wrapped her arms around Carmilla as best she could. “Thanks, Carm,” she murmured, starting to relax. Her shivering and chattering soon stopped, and she began to doze off again, a giant black cat wrapped around her and a crackling fire to her back.


	2. Punk/Rock -- Iron Maidens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura is the lead singer of a cover band and Carmilla is an utterly useless lesbian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the late upload, I forgot to post this before going out tonight. Just a heads up, this chapter is the explicit one, so feel free to skip it if that's not your thing. Hope you all have a nice night and I hope you enjoy!

Carmilla rolled her eyes, swirling the whiskey that was in her tumbler as she heard the telltale sounds of guitars tuning and mics being checked behind her. She waved down the bartender, signaling for another whiskey. 

The bar was dim, and in a shady part of town, filled with punks and metalheads and clouds of cigarette smoke. The bar was kinda gross, the floors sticky and the liquor sub-par, but Carmilla liked it because of the anonymity. Nobody asked questions or expected explanations. 

The only thing she didn’t like were the bands they sometimes booked on Friday nights. They were usually comprised of skinny white boys who couldn’t sing, doing wretched things to the likes of Black Sabbath and The Clash. She’d walked out a few times. 

She was about ready to do the same now, cut her losses before it got bad, not even bothering to look behind her to see who was standing on the makeshift stage. 

That was before she heard _her_.

Carmilla quickly swiveled in her seat so she was facing the stage, eyes curious as she studied the band. She quirked an eyebrow when she realized they were all women, but it was the woman singing that really caught her eye. She was...somehow unusual for this place. She was small, but dressed in destroyed jeans and a ratty old Iron Maiden teeshirt under a scuffed-up leather jacket. Her light brown hair was shaved on one side, long and wild on the other, and her bright eyes were encircled by smudged black eyeliner. It took a while for Carmilla to realize what they were playing. The Number of the Beast. Carmilla’s eyes flicked up and she huffed out a laugh, an amused smile playing with her lips when she saw the banner hanging behind them. _Iron Maidens._

A cover band. Of course. 

Carmilla watched as the woman sang, swaying her hips and whipping her hair around. Her voice was smooth, but gritty and wailing in the right places. Carmilla’s grip on her tumbler tightened. 

Laura surveyed the crowd as she sang, the way she always did, looking for people who looked interested to pass the band’s card along to. The words flowing from her were second nature, having sung them so many hundreds of times. As her eyes swept the small audience, they caught sight of a brunette at the bar who was watching her intently with a white-knuckled grip on her glass. Laura grinned and winked at her, watching her for the rest of the song.

Carmilla watched them, but mostly the woman singing, starry eyed, for the entire half hour set. When the final song ended, Carmilla turned around in her seat again, signaling for another drink. She was feeling rather hot under the collar and she needed something cold. 

Just as she was handed her drink, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She took a sip and turned again, to find the tiny singer standing behind her, looking curious, but also a little smug. 

“Hi,” The singer said, grinning. 

Carmilla quickly composed herself, and smiled lazily. She was even prettier up close. “Hey,” She said. 

“So, you enjoyed the set?” the singer asked, a knowing look on her face. 

“I did,” Carmilla said, her voice low. “I’m Carmilla,” She held her hand out. 

“Laura,” Said the singer, taking Carmilla’s hand and shaking it. She had a rose tattooed on the back of her hand and symbols Carmilla didn’t recognize on a few of her fingers. “glad you liked it. Mind if I join you?”

\-------

Conversation turned into a few beers, and a few beers turned into Laura taking Carmilla by the hand and leading her down the hall behind the tiny stage and into her dressing room, and Carmilla suddenly found herself pinning Laura up against the wall, a thigh between Laura’s legs. 

Laura had her arms wrapped around Carmilla’s neck as they kissed, her leather jacket long forgotten, thrown on a beat up old couch. She whimpered against Carmilla’s lips as she ground down insistently on Carmilla’s thigh.

“Are you sure you want this?” Carmilla gasped, pulling away from the kiss to look at Laura. Her makeup was a little smudged, her lip parted as she panted, and Carmilla was sure she’d never seen someone so beautiful.

Laura opened her eyes and looked up at Carmilla, smiled at her and pressed a kiss to the corner of Carmilla’s lips. “I’m sure,” She sighed, her lips trailing from Carmilla’s, down the line of her jaw and to her neck.

Carmilla grinned and pulled her closer, a hand snaking down in between them. She undid Laura’s studded belt and popped the button of her jeans, and slowly eased her hand between Laura’s legs. Laura let out a shuddering gasp as Carmilla dragged her fingers through her slick folds. Her grip on Carmilla’s shoulders tightened, and she let out a whimper as Carmilla began rubbing her clit with the pads of her fingers. 

“You like that?” Carmilla grinned, dipping her fingers into her occasionally, teasing her.

“Fuck, yes,” Laura panted, grinding down on Carmilla’s fingers. 

Carmilla leaned forward and kissed her deeply, her free hand moving up Laura’s stomach under her shirt, and she let out a moan and kissed Laura harder when she realized Laura wasn’t wearing a bra. Laura moaned as Carmilla cupped her breast, thumbing her nipple, and began to fumble with Carmilla’s belt. 

Carmilla nodded when she saw the questioning look in Laura’s eyes, and let out a groan when Laura slid her hands into her underwear, pushing two fingers into her. Carmilla pressed into Laura, speeding up her movements, spurred on by the sounds Laura was making and the feel of Laura inside her. 

Carmilla’s slightly alcohol addled brain was barely aware of the music blaring outside the dressing room, or the chatter of the bar crowd. All she was aware of was Laura’s panting and moaning, her fingers inside Laura and the feeling of Laura inside her, the scent of Laura’s perfume. The way Laura kept calling her name. Carmilla could feel Laura getting close, hear her whimpering and panting, feel her tightening around her fingers, and suddenly she was coming around Carmilla, her body tensing and her speech stuttering as Carmilla followed soon after.

Laura’s head thumped back against the wall, her chest heaving as she rode out her high. Carmilla was slumped against her, her head buried in in Laura’s neck, panting hard as she gently eased out of her. 

Carmilla groaned a little at the small gasp that spilled from Laura’s lips as she pulled out of her, and she sighed when Laura did the same. Laura reached up with her free hand and brushed Carmilla’s hair out of her eyes, and somehow _that_ was the gesture that made Carmilla blush. 

“So,” Carmilla began, her voice scratchy. She smiled. “you’re local, right?”


	3. favorite tv show/movie: nightmares and the unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla still has nightmares but there's a certain unlikely show that helps ease the ache.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope everyone's doing well I hope you enjoy the chapter!

_“NO, NO LAURA!”_

_\------_

_“You stupid girl, what did you do?!”_

_\------_

_“Took...took a chance...that she was like us...”_

_\-------_

_“You were supposed to stay safe, Laura,”_

_\-------_

_“but then I wouldn’t have been...me...”_

_\-------_

_“Please...please don’t leave me, not after all of this...”_

\-------

“Carm! Carm come on,” Laura said frantically, shaking Carmilla’s shoulder, her other hand on Carmilla’s cheek. “wake up!”

Carmilla woke with a start and a yelp, her wide eyes staring wildly around the room until they fell on Laura, taking her in. Her brow was slicked with sweat, her chest heaving as her heart pounded against her ribcage. She swallowed, panting, and leaned into the hand Laura held to her cheek. 

“Hey, you’re okay,” Laura said gently, stroking Carmilla’s cheek. “what happened?”

It took Carmilla a minute to get her voice to work, her brain still trying to catch up to the fact that Laura was here, warm and breathing and alive. “Nightmare,” She croaked finally, “about the...about the...pit,” _When you died._

Laura took Carmilla’s face between her hands and kissed her gently. “I’m okay,” She said, pressing another kiss to her lips. “we’re okay,” 

Carmilla nodded, but stayed silent. 

“Cocoa?” Laura asked, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. 

Carmilla returned it, and nodded a little. “Please,” she murmured. 

Laura kissed her forehead and got out of bed, heading for the kitchen. It’d been only a few months since the pit. Her and Carmilla had moved into their own little flat in Paris after spending a month with Laura’s dad, and things were starting to fall into their own kind of normalcy. Sleeping was still hard sometimes, though, for both of them, the memories still too fresh. 

Laura sighed as she put the kettle on, and took out two mugs and two packets of cocoa. Carmilla was having a bad week, this being her third nightmare about the same thing within a few days. An idea popped into Laura’s head though as she poured the hot water over the cocoa powder, and she hurried back to the bedroom as quick as she could without sloshing the hot cocoa down her front. 

When she entered their bedroom, Carmilla was sitting up against the headboard, her knees drawn to her chest and her cheeks wet. Laura’s heart broke a little as she saw the lost look in Carmilla’s eyes, and she quickly set down the cocoa on her nightstand, and took Carmilla’s hand. Carmilla looked up at her, and her face softened. 

“Hey,” Laura said gently, sliding under the covers again. “come here,” She gently wiped Carmilla’s tears away with her thumbs, and kissed her forehead again.

Carmilla scooted closer and laid her head on Laura’s chest, letting out a sigh and closing her eyes as she listened to Laura’s heartbeat. Laura smiled a little and took the tv remote from her night stand, and flicked it on, flipping through their library of shows. She clicked on Carmilla’s favorite and set down the remote again, smiling when she saw Carmilla’s eyes pop open as the opening theme of Over the Garden Wall began to play.

This weird little cartoon was Carmilla’s favorite. Laura had honestly felt like she was tripping the first time she watched it, but that’s why Carmilla loved it. It was surreal and odd, and Carmilla was strangely fascinated by it. Though, Carmilla had threatened that she wouldn’t have sex with Laura for a month if she told anyone she liked it so much. 

A couple episodes in, Laura looked down, feeling Carmilla’s hand slide under her shirt. She watched quietly, knowing Carmilla wasn’t in the mood for anything non-PG13. She never was, after nightmares. Carmilla’s hand stopped between Laura’s breasts, resting atop the jagged scar that cut its way down her chest. Carmilla had said once that it helped to feel that it was healed. Laura pulled her closer, running her fingers through Carmilla’s hair, and lost herself in the feeling of Carmilla’s soft weight pressing into her, and the soft touch of her thumb rubbing back and forth along her scar.


	4. 1980s -- just like heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LaFontaine drags Laura along to a The Cure concert, and Laura happens to run into their roadie. Their very hot roadie. 
> 
> AKA my second excuse to make Laura a metalhead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments so far! 
> 
> To any The Cure fans out there, I had to tweak the band's timeline a little to make it work so bear with me, but Just Like Heaven did come out in 1987 so I'm still within the parameters lol. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy, and thanks for reading!

“So, what band are we seeing?” Laura asked, following her friends into the bar.

“The Cure,” LaFontaine said excitedly, holding up the gig flyer. “they’ve been around for a few years but they’re still really underground,”

“Surprised I haven’t heard of them before,” Laura said thoughtfully, taking the flyer from LaFontaine to study it. 

“Hey Laura, can you grab some beers, I need to use the bathroom,” Mel said.

“Guys, why do you always make me get the beers?” Laura whined, “I’m going to get carded,”

“Because it’s funny,” LaFontaine said, slapping her on the back before following Mel to the bathroom. 

Laura rolled her eyes and trudged up to the bar, and gave the bartender their usual order. Beside her sat a woman with dark hair, checking things off a list.

“ID,” The bartender said gruffly, polishing a glass. 

Laura rolled her eyes, fishing her license out of the inside pocket of her motorcycle jacket, and handed it to him. He examined it for a moment, and then handed it back to her and wandered off to fill Laura’s order.

Laura sighed and sat on one of the stools, but raised an eyebrow when she heard the woman next to her chuckle. “It’s really not that funny after the hundredth time,” Laura said flatly, looking at the woman. She was dressed similarly to Laura, black jeana, Doc Marten’s, leather jacket. Her dark hair fell past her shoulders and hid her face until she looked up at Laura, and Laura found herself looking into piercing brown eyes. 

“I wouldn’t think so,” The woman chuckled, flipping her notebook closed. 

“Still, looking seventeen when I’m twenty-three is less of a blessing and mostly just annoying,” Laura said with a small laugh. “I’m Laura,” She said, holding out a hand.

“Carmilla,” Carmilla said, shaking her hand. 

Laura smiled a little. Carmilla’s hand was soft, but the tips of her fingers were calloused. “What’s the list for?” She asked.

“I’m a roadie for the band that’s playing tonight,” Carmilla explained, capping her pen. “making sure everything’s ready for them. I fill in on bass sometimes,”

So that explained the calloused fingers. “That’s awesome,” Laura grinned. “my friend LaFontaine is really excited to see them,”

“Carmilla!” Someone called from the stage, and beckoned her over when she looked over her shoulder at them. 

“Duty calls,” Carmilla said with a shrug, and grabbed her notebook, and the bag of water bottles the bartender had put on the bar for her. She paused a minute though before leaving, and looked back at Laura. “Save me a dance?” She asked with a cheeky smirk.

“Okay,” Laura said, grinning as blush creeped up her neck.

Carmilla winked at her and then turned to walk back to the stage. 

“Who was that?” LaFontaine asked, coming up behind Laura with Mel in tow. 

The bartender set down their drinks in front of Laura, and Laura handed them out.

“Uh, the roadie for The Cure,” Laura said, still a little stunned.

“No way!” LaFontaine said excitedly.

“She asked me to save her a dance,” Laura said, blushing madly.

“Well done Hollis,” Mel grinned as she watched LaFontaine slap Laura on the back.   
\-------

Halfway through the set, Laura felt a tap on her shoulder, when she turned around she found Carmilla smirking at her.

“Still up for that dance?” Carmilla said, blue lights reflecting in her eyes. 

Laura smiled, nodding, and let Carmilla take her hand, drawing her into the middle of the crowd. Carmilla spun her around as a new song started playing, her hands falling on Laura’s hips.

“What song is this?” Laura asked, grinning as she put her hands on Carmilla’s shoulders. 

Carmilla smiled and leaned in close, her lips near Laura’s ear. “Just Like Heaven,” She purred, moving with Laura around the dancefloor. She began to sing along with the lyrics, and Laura wasn’t gonna tell LaFontaine, but she thought Carmilla had a better voice than the guy on the stage. 

The two danced for the rest of the set, Carmilla always keeping Laura close much to Laura’s delight. When the set finished and the cheers from the crowd died down, Laura laced her fingers with Carmilla’s.

“You guys are going to be in town for a few more days, right?”


	5. a vampire-proof beach trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura plans a romantic night, keeping Carmilla's vampiric needs in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the lovely comments, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

“Cupcake, you know I hate the sun,” Carmilla grumbled, as she stuffed a couple towels into a duffel bag. 

“I’ve planned accordingly,” Laura said cryptically, but then she softened. “I wouldn’t plan something you hate,” She said, and kissed Carmilla’s cheek.

Carmilla sighed, smiling a little. “I know,” She looked at the time, and then back to Laura, looking confused. “Isn’t it a little late to be heading to the beach?” 

“Nope!” Laura said brightly, zipping up the cooler. “I planned everything, remember?”

\-------

An hour later they were driving down the highway, Laura singing along to the radio as Carmilla watched amusedly, one of her hands resting on Laura’s thigh. The windows were open, and Carmilla was captivated by the sight of Laura looking so free, singing to the radio as her hair whipped around her face. Carmilla closed her eyes after a while and leaned back on the headrest, still tired from getting up earlier than normal.

\-------

“Carm,” Laura said gently, shaking Carmilla’s shoulder. They were sitting in a gravel parking lot, having just pulled in. “Carm, wake up,”

Carmilla’s eyes cracked open and she looked at Laura blearily.

“We’re here sleepyhead,” Laura grinned, kissing Carmilla’s cheek. 

“Where’s here?” Carmilla grumbled, straightening up and rubbing her eyes.

“Well, if you get out of the car you can see for yourself,” Laura said cheerfully, and hopped out of the driver’s seat. She began to rummage in the back seat, pulling out the duffel bag and the cooler. 

Carmilla extracted herself from the passenger seat, and stretched, groaning. They were in a little seaside town full of whitewashed buildings, the sound of cheerful chatter coming from down the road. Carmilla could smell the salt in the air, and smiled a little. It reminded her of that summer She’d spent with Mattie on the French coast. 

Soon, Laura had taken Carmilla’s hand, and they were headed up a rocky path towards a beach, Carmilla was assuming. Laura wasn’t saying much, but the sound of waves crashing grew louder and the scent of salt grew stronger, and soon they’d reached the top of the sand dune.

“What do you think?” Laura said excitedly, looking at Carmilla. 

Carmilla looked out over the beach, in awe. It was deserted, and the sun was setting, casting orange and pink light over the water. 

“It’s beautiful,” Carmilla said, squeezing Laura’s hand. 

Laura beamed, thrilled that Carmilla liked it. “There’s no curfew on this beach, so we can stay here all night if we want,” She explained. “I brought dinner, and champagne, and blankets. I thought maybe we could sleep out here tonight. Look at the stars,”

Carmilla pulled her closer and kissed her gently. “You’re such a sap,” She grinned.

\-------

It wasn’t long before they’d spread out their blanket--the corners held down by rocks--and unpacked their dinner. The sun was disappearing beneath the horizon as Carmilla poured champagne and handed a glass to Laura. 

“Do you like it?” 

“I love it, sweetheart,” Carmilla said, leaning closer to Laura to give her a kiss.

\-------

Carmilla curled closer to Laura on the blanket as they looked up at the stars, the sound of the rushing waves and the cool breeze coming from the water combined with the effects of the champagne lulling them into a calm, sleepy state. Carmilla quietly pointed out constellations as Laura listened, her head resting on Carmilla’s shoulder. 

“So, you like the beach a little more at night?” Laura grinned sleepily, nuzzling Carmilla’s cheek.

“It’s not so bad,” Carmilla said with a smirk, kissing Laura’s forehead.


	6. nerd/coplay -- she's got a thing for the blacksmith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla, a blacksmith, and Laura, a food vendor, work the same Renaissance Faire circuit, and have for years. it's how they met, in fact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This prompt is from an AU Fox-is-fandumb and I have been casually messing with for a while, and a while back I promised Fox I'd write something for it, so here it is! Hope you all enjoy!

Laura grinned as she trotted along the path between booths, hearing the familiar clank of metal against metal as she neared Carmilla’s booth. In one hand she carried a foil packet of roast turkey and potatoes, fresh from her booth, and in the other, a large mug of cocoa. The night was winding down, and faire goers were gathering around the jousting ring for the special Halloween event, so she didn’t feel bad leaving Kirsch in charge for a little while. 

Laura’s breath puffed out in front of her in little white clouds, nightfall bringing the temperatures down. She hadn’t felt the cold too much, seeing as he’d been cooking all day, but now that she was away from her cooking fires it seeped in through her linen dress. She chastised herself for not bringing her wool cloak, but she knew Carmilla’s booth would be warm with the fires Carmilla kept going all day to demonstrate the forging process. 

“Carm!” She called as she approached Carmilla’s booth. 

Carmilla’s booth was set up on the corner of the lane, a spacious white canvas tent with a rope barring every entrance, so no curious little ones would be in danger of the fire that burned near the edge so faire goers could watch her work. Next to the fire stood an anvil set up on a tree stump, and behind that was a small table and a bench. Along the back of the tent were racks of exquisite swords Carmilla had forged during the off season, and near the front was a wooden table covered in small trinkets for sale. 

Carmilla stopped hammering at her anvil and looked up when she heard Laura, grinning when her eyes fell on her. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Carmilla smiled, setting down her hammer and tongs as Laura approached. She wiped her hands on her shirt beneath her worn leather apron, and leaned forward to kiss Laura hello.

“Hey,” Laura said happily, pressing another kiss to the corner of Carmilla’s mouth. “I brought you dinner,” 

“I see,” Carmilla smiled, and took the foil packet and the cocoa from her. “you’re wonderful,” she murmured, smiling softly.

Laura followed Carmilla over to the bench and small table that was set up in the back of her tent and sat beside Carmilla as she dug into her dinner. “Hungry?” She asked, amused. 

“Starving,” Carmilla said around a bite of roast turkey. She swallowed. “I’ve been forging nails and hooks all day,”

Laura smiled. That had been what Carmilla was doing the day they met three years earlier, incidentally, at this Renaissance faire. It was pretty standard, Carmilla usually preferred to forge small things at faires, since there was little to no chance of mishaps happening with such small objects. She’d showed up to Laura’s booth right as one of Laura’s spits had broken, and once she’d paid for her food, she’s rushed off to her booth to forge a new one. It was a temporary fix, seeing as she didn’t have time to temper it properly, but it did the trick for the rest of the day. The next weekend, she’d come back with one fully tempered and polished. Laura had given her free food for the rest of the faire weekends, and free food turned into daily conversations, and daily conversations eventually turned into dates on their days off, and suddenly they found themselves in a relationship. 

Laura had never been happier. 

“Has your booth been busy?” Carmilla asked, leaning back against the back of the bench. Her eyes were tired but content, holding that languidness Laura loved to see. It meant she was happy. 

Laura nodded. “for most of the day, yeah,” She said with a yawn, leaning against Carmilla’s shoulder. “it slowed down a little though so I left Kirsch in charge so I could come see you,”

“Remind me to thank him,” Carmilla said with a smirk. She pressed a kiss to Laura’s head. “I miss you when we’re both working,”

Laura chuckled. “Don’t let LaF hear you say that, you’ll never hear the end of it from them,”

“That’s true,” Carmilla said, setting down the empty foil and taking a sip of her cocoa. 

Laura watched as a few people strode by, some dressed in costumes, some not. She suddenly felt Carmilla’s calloused finger guide her chin towards her, and she smiled softly as Carmilla pulled her in to kiss her deeply. 

“I really do miss you, though,” Carmilla murmured when they broke apart, her eyes soft.

Laura leaned her forehead against Carmilla’s, letting out a contented hum. “I miss you too,”

“Not to mention you in this corset does many, many things to me,” Carmilla said with a smirk, her voice growing gravelly as her hand traveled up Laura’s thigh, dragging her maroon dress up slightly. 

“ _Carm_ ,” Laura sighed, rolling her eyes. “there’s kids around. And I really like this faire, I’d really rather not get uninvited to vend here next year,” She gently took Carmilla’s hand off of her thigh, giving her a pointed glare. Her expression softened though after a moment. “Just wait until we get back to our trailer, okay?” She asked, a playful glint on her eyes. “because you in your blacksmithing clothes does many things to me too,” She ran her hand along Carmilla’s upper arm, feeling Carmilla’s subtle muscles through the loose, black linen shirt.

“Does it now?” Carmilla smirked. She leaned forward to kiss Laura’s cheek, and nibbled softly at her jaw. “When can we get back to our trailer again?”


	7. Pride -- Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla and Laura go to New York pride, and Carm relives some of her memories of living in the village with Mattie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I can't believe it's the final day already. Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments, I'll be replying to them soon, I promise. Sorry for the late upload with this one, I was out all afternoon and evening and it's pretty short, but I hope you like it! Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a nice night!

“Carm?” Laura asked, a little worried. Carmilla was looking particularly solemn, even for her. And they were on their way to Pride, no less. Their first Pride together, actually. “you okay?”

It’d been five years since Silas, since the pit, and things had always just been too busy to actually attend Pride. They still celebrated of course, but this was their first time going to the actual parade together. Laura was beyond excited, decked out in everything rainbow she could get her hands on--including a snapback with a little pride flag sticking out of it. Carmilla had opted for something more subtle, wearing a rainbow crop top and her usual tiny black shorts and boots.

They’d decided to come to New York Pride. Carmilla had suggested it, actually. 

Carmilla looked at Laura and smiled a little. “I’m okay, Cupcake,” She said, and leaned over to kiss her cheek. She squeezed Laura’s hand. “It’s just been a long time since I’ve been here,”

“You spent a while here?” Laura asked tentatively. She didn’t always know when it was okay to ask about Carmilla’s past. 

Carmilla nodded. “Mattie and I lived here for almost ten years,” She said. “we moved here in sixty-three, and Maman didn’t need me back at Silas until seventy-four,”

“Was Mattie queer?” Laura asked, “She never said,”

“The short answer is yes,” Carmilla said with a chuckle, “Mattie was so old and she’d seen so much of humanity change...and not change. Labels meant very little to her after a thousand years, but she certainly wasn’t straight,”

Laura snorted at that as they turned the corner and dodged a man with a stroller. “Sounds like her,” 

“Yeah,” Carmilla hummed. “She really liked it here. We both did. She joined the Black Panthers, and we both basically lived in some of the gay bars around here. Mattie and I went out for drinks one night, and we happened to pass by Stonewall, on the night of the riot. We saw the cop lights and heard the fighting so we ran in to see if we could help,” She looked over at Laura, who was staring at her, wide eyed.

“Holy Hufflepuff,” Laura breathed, “I didn’t know you were actually _there,”_

“We figured we could try to get some people out before they started getting hurt, since the cops couldn’t hurt us.” Carmilla continued, lowering her voice as they passed some teenagers decked out in various pride flags. “Mattie ran back outside to try to bust the lock off the paddy wagon but she wasn’t fast enough. Some people were able to slip out the back door though.” Her smile suddenly turned mischievous. “Mattie and I ate a couple of the cops,” She grinned.

_“Carm,”_ Laura hissed, hoping nobody had herd her, though she laughed after a minute once Carmilla gave her a look. “okay I admit it, I suppose they deserved that,”


End file.
